Consumer's Report and Wine: hype, reality, and taste

Many customers have expressed interest in the wines that Consumer's Report has rated highly. We've tasted many of these wines over the years, and we even carry some them. Although we respect (and subscribe to!) Consumer's Report, it is obvious that we do not share the same tasting criteria.

Consumer's Report is limited to wines that are mass produced and available nationally, whereas we often find gems of much more limited distribution. More importantly, although they highly rated several wines that we also like (Beringer and Meridian Chardonnays, Napa Ridge and Beringer Cabernets), they clearly seemed attracted to fruity wines with residual sugar and no structure or complexity. How else to explain the preponderance of Kendall Jackson wines that scored high or the fact that they rated Napa Ridge Cab higher than the Beringer Cabernet and rated both of these higher than the Stag's Leap Cab! That they could rate Walnut Crest and (gag!) Glen Ellen Merlot so high is a sad commentary. Clearly, these wines are (at best) pleasant and innocuous to sip without food. They are overly soft (due to low acid and/or some residual sugar), not at all food friendly, and are not what quality wine is all about. Quality wine is about complexity, structure, balance, finish, and fruit, not just fruit alone.

On a positive note, the information in the articles is pretty good. Most importantly, it's great to see that wine drinking has become mainstream enough for Consumer's Report to review!